text: George Raffalovich's forthcoming works. _________________________ THE HISTORY OF A SOUL. " " Edition strictly limited." _________________________ THE DEUCE AND ALL. A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES _________________________ READY SHORTLY. Through THE EQUINOX and all booksellers. _____________________________________________________________________________ MR. NEUBURG'S NEW VOLUME OF POEMS. " ""Imperial "16"mo, pp." 200. _________________________ " "Ready immediately. Order through" The Equinox, "or of" ""any Bookseller." THE TRIUMPH OF PAN. POEMS BY VICTOR B. NEUBURG. this volume, containing many poems --- nearly all of them hitherto unpublished --- besides THE TRIUMPH OF PAN, includes THE ROMANCE OF OLIVIA VANE. The First Edition will be limited to Two Hundred and Fifty copies: Two Hundred and Twenty on ordinary paper, whereof less than Two Hundred are for sale; and Thirty on Japanese vellum, of which Twenty-five are for sale. These latter copies will be numbered, and signed by the Author. The binding will be half-parchment with crimson sides; the ordinary copies will be bound in crimson cloth. OCCULTISM To the readers of "The Equinox." --- All who are interested in Occult and Masonic Lore should write to FRANK HOLLINGS for his Catalogue of over 1,000 volumes. Sent post free on receipt of name and address, and all future issues. A few selected items below. THE KEY OF SOLOMON THE KING: (Clavicula Salomonis), translated and edited from Ancient MSS. in the British Museum, by S. LIDDELL MACGREGOR MATHERS, author of "The Kabbalah Unveiled," The Tarot," etc., "With plates." Crown 4to, " "cloth." 21"s." "net." The Key of Solomon gives full, clear, and concise instructions for Talismanic and ceremonial Magic, as well as for the practical part of Occultism. Besides Seals, Sigils, and Magical Diagrams, nearly 50 Pantacles or Talismans are given in the plates. Among other authors both Eliphas Lvi and Christian mention the "Key of Solomon" as a work of high authority, and the former especially refers to it repeatedly. JENNINGS (Hargrave). The Rosicrucians, their Rites and Mysteries, fourth edition, revised, Demy 8vo. "with hundreds of illustrations. Half morocco." 7"s." 6"d." Some of the Contents: Critics of the Rosicrucians Criticized --- The Hermetic Philosophers --- Fire --- Theosophy of the Persians --- Drudical Stones --- The Round Towers of Ireland --- Mystic Christian Figures and Talismans --- The Rosy Cross in Indian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Mediaeval Monuments --- The Great Pyramid --- Connexion between the Templars and Gnosticism --- Astro-Theosophical System of the Rosicrucians --- Robt. Fludd --- The Holy Greale -- The Round Table --- Alchemy --- The Outline of the Kabbalah, etc., etc. THE KABBALAH UNVEILED, containing the following books of the Zohar: (1) The Book of Concealed Mystery; (2) The Greater Holy Assembly, (3) The Lesser Holy Assembly, Translated into English from the Latin Version of Knorr Von Rosenroth, and collated with the original Chaldee and Hebrew text, by S. L. MACGREGOR MATHERS. New and cheaper edition. Demy 8vo. 7"s." 6"d. net." The Bible, which has been probably more misconstrued than any other book ever written, contains numberless obscure and mysterious passages which are utterly unintelligible without some key wherewith to unlock their meaning. " "That Key is given in theKabbalah." LUCIFER: A Theosophical Magazine, intended to bring to light the Hidden Things of Darkness. Edited by H. P. BLAVATSKY, MABEL COLLINS, and ANNIE BESANT. vols. I to XVII inclusive. SCARCE SET, 1877 to 1896. With symbolical bookplates of E. D. BACON. 17 vols. 8vo, half calf "net" ""7 15"s." BOOK OF THE SACRED MAGIC (The) OF ABRA-MELIN THE MAGE, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his Son Lamech, A.D. 1458. Translated from the Original Hebrew into French, and now rendered into English. From a unique and valuable MS, in the "Biblioth de l'Arsenal" at Paris; with copious Notes and Magical Squares of Letters. By L. S. MACGREGOR-MATHERS. 4to, black cloth, Magical Square on side in gold. 1900. (Published at 21s.) Postage free 10s. 6p. The Original work, of which this is a translation, is unique, no other copy being known, although both Bylwer Lytton and Eliphas Levi were well aware of its existence; the former having based part of his description on the sage Rosicrucian, Mejnour, on that of Abra-Melin, while the account of the so-called Observatory of Sir Philip Derval in the "Strange Story" was, to some extent, copied from that of the Magical Oratory and Terrace given in the present work. There are also other interesting points too numerous to be given here in detail. It is felt therefore that by its publication a service is rendered to lovers of rare and curious Books, and to Students of Occultism, by placing within their reach a magical work of so much importance, and one so interestingly associated with the respective authors of "Zanoni" and of the "Dogma and Ritual of Transcendental Magie." The Magical Squares or combination of letters, placed in a certain manner, are said to possess a peculiar species of automatic intelligent vitality, apart from any of the methods given for their use; and students are recommended to make no use of these whatever unless this higher Divine Knowledge is approached in a frame of mind worthy of it. TRANSCENDENTAL MAGIC: Its Doctrine and Ritual. By ELIPHAS LVI (a complete Translation of "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie"), with a Biographical Preface by ARTHUR E. WAITE, author of "Devil Worship in France," etc. etc. Portrait of the Author, and all the original engravings. 8vo, 406 pp., cloth, 1896. Published 15s Offered at 7s. 6p. The Pillars of the Temple, Triangle of Solomon, The Tetragram, The Pentagram, Magical Equilibrium, The Fiery Sword, Realisation, Imitation, The Kabbalah, The Magic Chain, Necromancy, Transmutations, Black Magic, Bewitchments, Astrology, Charms and Philtres, The Stone of the Philosophers, The Universal Medicine, Divination, The Triangle of Pantacles, The Conjuration of the Four, The Blazing Pentagram,. Medium and Mediator, The Septenary of Talismans, A Warning to the Imprudent, The Ceremonial of Initiates, The Key of Occultism, The Sabbath of the Sorcerers, Witchcraft and Spells, The Writing of the Stars, Philtres and Magnetism, The Mastery of the Sun, The Thaumaturge, The Science of the Prophets, The Book of Hermes, etc. "Occult Philosophy seems to have been the Nurse, or godmother of all intellectual forces, the key of all divine obscurities, and the absolute queen of society in those ages when it was reserved exclusively for the education of priests and of kings. It reigned in Persia with Magi, who at length perished, as perish all masters of the world, because they abused their power; it endowed India with the most wonderful traditions, and with an incredible wealth of poesy, grace, and terror in its emblems; it civilized Greece to the music of Orpheus; it concealed the principles of all the sciences and of all human intellectual progress in the bold calculations of Pythagoras; fable abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to appreciate this unknown power, became confused with fable; it shook or strengthened empires by its oracles, caused tyrants to tremble on their thrones, and governed all minds, either by curiosity, or by fear.' FRANK HOLLINGS, 7 GREAT TURNSTILE, HOLBORN (near the Inns of Court Hotel). PHOTOGRAPHS. To be had of THE EQUINOX. Price Ten Shillings each. Neatly framed in gold. The original panel Photographs: THE STUDENT. (A reproduction faces "Aha!" in No. III.) THE INTERPRETER. (Reproduced on p. 279 of No. IV.) THE GUARDIAN OF THE FLAME. THE GODDESS. No student of the mysteries should be without one at least of these remarkable and beautiful studies. Their presence serves to remind the possessor of the constant quest and to stimulate to more persistent Effort. Essay of Prentice Mulford ______________________________ " "Crown 8vo. Crimson cloth extra, "3"s." 6"d. net per volume." THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT. A Selection from the Essays of PRENTICE MULFORD. Reprinted from the "White Cross Library." With an Introduction by ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. Third Edition. CONTENTS. ___ God in the Trees; or the Infinite Mind in Nature. The God in Yourself. The Doctor within. Mental Medicine. Faith; or, Being Led of the Spirit. The Material Mind "v." The Spiritual Mind. What are Spiritual Gifts? Healthy and Unhealthy Spirit Communion. Spells; or, the Law of Change. Immortality in the Flesh. Regeneration; or, Being Born again. The Process of Re-Embodiment. Re-Embodiment Universal in Nature. The mystery of Sleep. Where you Travel when you Sleep. Prayer in all ages. The Church of Silent Demand. "The Essays of Prentice Mulford embody a peculiar philosophy, and represent a peculiar phase of insight into the mystery which surrounds man. The essays were the work, as the insight was the gift, of a man who owed nothing to books, perhaps not much to what is ordinarily meant by observation, and everything or nearly everything to reflection nourished by contact with nature." ___ "A. E. Waite, in the Introduction." Under the title "Your Forces and How to Use Them," the Essays ofPrentice Mulford have obtained the greatest popularity in America. THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING. A further Selection from the Works of PRENTICE MULFORD. Reprinted from the "White Cross Library." With an Introduction by ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. CONTENTS. ___ Introduction. Force, and How to Get it. The Source of your Strength. About Economising our Forces. The Law of Marriage. Marriage and Resurrection. Your Two Memories. The Drawing Power of Mind. Consider the Lilies. Cultivate Repose. Look Forward. The Necessity of Riches. Love Thyself. What is Justice? How Thoughts are born. Positive and Negative Thought. The Art of Forgetting. The Attraction of Aspiration. God's Commands are Man's Demands. "This further selection has been prepared in consequence of the great popularity attained by the first series of Prentice Mulford's Essays, published under the title of "the Gift of the Spirit." ESSAYS OF PRENTICE MULFORD. THIRD SERIES. CONTENTS. ___ the Law of Success. How to Keep Your Strength. The Art of Study. Profit and Loss in Associates. The Slavery of Fear. Some Laws of Health and Beauty. Mental Interference. Co-operation of Thought. The Religion of Dress. Use your Riches. The Healing and Renewing force of Spring. The Practical Use of Reverie. Self-Teaching: or the Art of Learning How to Learn. How to Push your Business. The Religion of the Drama. The Uses of Sickness. Who are our Relations? The Use of a Room. Husband and Wife. The third and fourth series of Prentice Mulford's Essays have been prepared in response to a large demand for the complete works of the "White Cross Library" at a more reasonable price than that of the American edition in six volumes. ESSAYS OF PRENTICE MULFORD. FOURTH SERIES. Completing the entire set of Essays published in America under the title of "Your Forces and How to Use Them." CONTENTS. ___ The Use of Sunday. A Cure for Alcoholic Intemperance through the Law of Demand. Grace Before Meat; or the Science of Eating. what we need Strength for. One Way to Cultivate Courage. Some Practical Mental Recipes. The Use and Necessity of Recreation. Mental Tyranny: or, How We Mesmerise Each Other. thought Currents. Uses of Diversion. "Lies breed Disease; Truths being Health." Woman's Real Power. Good and Ill Effects of Thought. Buried Talents. The Power of Honesty. Confession. The Accession of New Thought. These four volumes constitute the cheapest and best edition of the Essays of Prentice Mulford published in the English language. Special care has been taken to eliminate the errors and mistakes with which the American edition abounds. ______________________ A. COLIN LUNN, Cigar Importer and Cigarette Merchant. Sole Agent for Loewe & Co.,s Celebrated Straight Grain Briar Pipes. YEVIDYEH CIGARETTES, No. 1 A. ___ "A CONNOISSEUR'S CIGARETTE." These are manufactured from the finest selected growths of 1908 crop, and are of exceptional quality. They can be inhaled without causing any irritation of the throat. sole Manufacturer: A. COLIN LUNN, Cambridge. MESSRS. LOWE AND CO., beg to announce that they have been entrusted for twelve years past with the preparation of the OILS, PERFUMES, UNGUENTS, ESSENCES, INCENSES, and other chemical products useful to members of all the lesser grades of the A ∴ A ∴ ____________________________________________________________________________ MR. GEORGE RAFFLOVICH'S charming volume of Essays and Sketches entitled ON THE LOOSE: PLANETARY JOURNEYS AND EARTHLY SKETCHES. " ""A new popular edition." " "Crown "8"vo. Pp. "164. May be obtained through THE EQUINOX. " "The Photograph in this number of" """The Equinox" is by the" DOVER STREET STUDIOS, KONX OM PAX THE MOST REMARKABLE TREATISE ON THE MYSTIC PATH EVER WRITTEN Contains an Introduction and Four Essays; the first an account of the progress of the soul to perfect illumination, under the guise of a charming fairy tale; The second, an Essay on Truth, under the guise of a Christmas pantomime; The third, an Essay on Magical Ethics, under the guise of the story of a Chinese philosopher; The fourth, a Treatise on many Magical Subjects of the profoundest importance, under the guise of a symposium, interspersed with beautiful lyrics. No serious student can afford to be without this delightful volume. The second edition is printed on hand-made paper, and bound in white buckram, with cover-design in gold. PRICE TEN SHILLINGS WALTER SCOTT PUBLISHING CO., LTD., and through "THE EQUINOX" * * Some Press Opinions "Dr. M. D. EDER in "The New Age" "Yours also is the Reincarnation and the Life, O laughing lion that is to be! "Here you have distilled for our delight the inner spirit of the Tulip's form, the sweet secret mystery of the Rose's perfume: you have set them free from all that is material whilst preserving all that is sensual. 'So also the old mystics were right who saw in every phenomenon a dog-faced demon apt only to seduce the soul from the sacred mystery.' Yes, but the phenomenon shall it not be as another sacred mystery; the force of attraction still to be interpreted in terms of God and the Psyche? We shall reward you by befoulment, by cant, but misunderstanding, and by understanding. This to you who wear the Phrygian cap, not as symbol of Liberty, O ribald ones, but of sacrifice and victory, of Inmost Enlightenment, of the soul's deliverance from the fetters of the very soul itself --- fear not; you are not 'replacing truth of thought by mere expertness of mechanical skill.' "You who hold more skill and more power than your great English predecessor, Robertus de Fluctibus, you have not feared to reveal 'the Arcana which are in he Adytum of God-nourished Silence' to those who, abandoning nothing, will sail in the company of the Brethren of the Rosy Cross towards the Limbus, that outer, unknown world encircling so many a universe." ":John Bull," in the course of a long review by Mr. HERBERT VIVIAN" "The author is evidently that rare combination of genius, a humorist and a philosopher. For pages he will bewilder the mind with abstruse esoteric pronouncements, and then, all of a sudden, he will reduce his readers to hysterics with some surprisingly quaint conceit. I was unlucky to begin reading him at breakfast and I was moved to so much laughter that I watered my bread with my tears and barely escaped a convulsion." "The Times" "The Light wherein he writes is the .V.X., of that which, first mastering and then transcending the reason, illumines all the darkness cause by the interference of the opposite waves of thought. ... It is one of the most suggestive definitions of KONX --- the LVX of the Brethren of the Rosy Cross --- that it transcends all the possible pairs of opposites. Nor does this sound nonsensical to those who are acquainted with that LVX. But to those who do not it must remain as obscure and ridiculous as spherical trigonometry to the inhabitants of Flatland." "The Literary Guide" "He is a lofty idealist. He sings like a lark at the gates of heaven. 'Konx Om Pax' is the apotheosis of extravagance. the last word in eccentricity. A prettily told fairy-story 'for babes and sucklings' has 'explanatory notes in Hebrew and Latin for the wise and prudent --- --- which notes, as far as we can see, explain nothing --- together with a weird preface in scraps of twelve or fifteen languages. The best poetry in the book is contained in the last section --- 'The Stone of the Philosophers.' Here is some fine work." A. CROWLEY'S WORKS The volumes here listed are all of definite occult and mystical interest and importance. "The trade may obtain them from" "The Equinox," 124 Victoria Street, S. W. Tel.: 3210 Victoria; and Messrs. Simpklin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., 23 Paternoster Row, E.C. "The Public may obtain them from" "The Equinox," 124 Victoria Street, S. W. Mr. Elkin Matthews, Vigo Street, W. The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Paternoster Square, E.C. Mr. F., Hollings, Grat Trunstile, Holborn. And through all Booksellers. ACELDAMA. Crown 8vo, 29 pp., 2 2s. net. Of this rare pamplet less than 10 copies remain. It is Mr. Crowley's earliest and in some ways most striking mystical work. JEPHTHAH AND OTHER MYSTERIES, LYRICAL AND DRAMATIC. Demy 8vo, boards, pp. xxii. + 223, 7s. 6d. net. SONGS OF THE SPIRIT. Pp. x. + 109. A new edition. 3s. 6d. net. These two volumes breathe the pure semi-conscious aspiration of the soul, and express the first glimmerings of the light. THE SOUL OF OSIRIS. Medium 8vo, pp. ix. + 129, 5s. net. A collection of lyrics, illustrating the progress of the soul from corporeal to celestial beatitude. TANNHAUSER. Demy 4to, pp. 142, 15s. net. The progress of the soul in dramatic form. BERASHITH. 4to, china paper, pp. 24, 5s. net. Only a few copies remain. An illuminating essay on the universe, reconciling the conflicting systems of religion. THE GOD-EATER. Crown 4to, pp. 32, 2s. 6d. net. A striking dramatic study of the origin of religions. THE SWORD OF SONG. Post 4to, pp. ix + 194, printed in red and black, decorative wrapper, 20s. net. this is the author's first most brilliant attempt to base the truths of mysticism on the truths of scepticism. It contains also an enlarged amended edition of "Berashith," and an Essay showing the striking parallels and identities between the doctrines of Modern Science and those of Buddhism. GARGOYLES. Pott 8vo, pp. vi. + 113, 5s. net. ORACLES. Demy 8vo, pp. viii. + 176, 5s. net. Some of Mr. Crowley's finest mystical lyrics are in these collections. KNOX OM PAX. See advt. Collected Works (Travellers' Edition). Extra crown 8vo, India paper, 3 vols. in one, pp. 808 + Appendices. Vellum, green ties, with protraits, 3 3s.; white buckram, without portraits, 2 2s. This edition contains "Qabalistic Dogma," "Time," "The Excluded Middle," "Eleusis," and other matter of the highest occult importance which are not printed elsewhere. AMBERGRIS. Medium 8vo, pp. 200, 3s 6d. (Elkin Mathews.) A selection of lyrics, containing some of great mystical beauty.


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Store hours:
10:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday - Saturday |
Welcome to the Jazz Record Center! | |||||||||||
Since l983, the Jazz Record Center has conducted mail auctions, bought/sold/traded LPs, CDs, books, videos, magazines and jazz ephemera. We are always interested in purchasing collections -- large or small -- of jazz LPs, CDs and literature in excellent condition. Send, e-mail or fax your disposal lists. You can order books and videos online with our secure ordering system.
You can order with credit card, money order, or personal check
We have our books and videos online but there are many more products We are currently doing periodic auctions on eBay. Approximately every two weeks, we list rare ephemera (concert programs, autographs, photographs, flyers, etc.) and LPs culled from collections we purchase - all original pressings in top condition.
Order hardback
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From thousands of first-hand examinations of Blue Note records comes this exhaustive guide to identifying the many details that determine what is - and what is not - an original Blue Note pressing. Every EP, 10" LP (5000 and 7000 series), and 12" LP - mono and stereo - from the 1200, 1500, and 4000 series up to BLP 4252, is separately listed, with descriptions of the important record and cover details.
The guide also includes chapters on promo-only mono issues, label transition periods, release dates for 10" and 12" LPs, label chronology for 12" pressings, inner sleeves, rarities, as well as commentary by Rudi Van Gelder about his Blue Note stereo recordings. Over 100 color and black & white photographs assist the reader, identifying important (and often elusive) details that qualify each record as an "original". This is an indispensable reference for modern jazz LP collectors that, for the first time, assembles all the information previously available only to dealers or the most experienced collectors. The guide will help buyers make informed decisions about their next record purchases, preventing costly mistakes while strengthening the value of their collections. $45.00, plus shipping. Order can be placed by e-mail: email@example.com, at the Jazz Record Center website: jazzrecordcenter.com, by phone at (212) 675-4480, or by mail to: Jazz Record Center 236 West 26 Street, #804 New York, NY 10001 (between 7th & 8th Avenues) *** The "Jazz Tree" poster available! ***
***A Jazz Record Center gift certificate Click here to contact us for info You can order books and videos online with our secure ordering system. You can also order with credit card or check using an order form that you can print out and mail to us. We have our books and videos online but there are many more products that you can order directly from from the New York Store. Our selection of Laser Disks and DVDs encompasses the complete range of the jazz-on-video experience. All videos are new commercial releases, though some are in limited supply and once they are sold, cannot be restocked. We will be happy to special order any currently available video that is not in our inventory.
We stock approximately 1,000 in-print and deleted paper and hardback books on jazz and blues in many categories. We also carry a large selection of foreign and domestic photo books. As with videos, we will special order any currently available title.
Unusual items from our inventory, e.g. posters, equipment, ephemera.
Copyright Jazz Record Center ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
At Jazz Record Center, we buy and sell LPs, CDs, books, music videos, magazines, jazz books and blues and jazz ephemera.We carry many record labels like Avant Garde Transition Blue Note Prestige EmArcy New Debut Candid Riverside Atlantic BYG/ACTUEL Impulse Pacific Verve Savoy Mosaic ESP Cobblestone and many artists like Miles Davis John Coltrane Charlie Parker Duke Ellington and Count Basie. |

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The Charleston Newspapers News Library contains stories from The Charleston Gazette, Charleston Daily Mail, Sunday Gazette-Mail as well as Metro East, North and West. Articles within the library were published as far back as January 1985 and as current as one week ago.
You may search the library site for free. Retrieve the full text of any article within the library for only $4.95 per article. There are also discounts available with the Charleston Newspapers News Library multi-article packages.
Searches produce a list of articles with the headline, date, word count and a few sentences of each story. To get started follow the steps below:


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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — The Air Force Personnel Center is currently accepting nominations for the Air Force Association Joan Orr Air Force Spouse of the Year Award.
This award honors significant contributions made by non-military spouses of Air Force military members. The nominee's spouse must be an active duty Air Force, Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve member.
Organization and base-level personnel must contact their major command, field operating agency or direct reporting unit for applicable suspense dates and additional information regarding nomination procedures.
Each major command, forward operating agency or direct reporting unit may submit one nomination, and packages are due to AFPC no later than Feb. 1.
For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil/.


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PHOENIX—Community leaders came together today to launch a campaign to show the generous people of Maricopa County how they can be part of long-term solutions for those experiencing homelessness. The campaign builds on the vast network of goodwill and giving that exists in Maricopa County and adds practical, sustainable ways to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness. Through this effort, community partners hope to connect more homeless individuals with services that can help end their homelessness; improve public health and safety; and, encourage healthy giving Valley-wide beyond the holiday season. Partners believe healthy giving can change a life!
What is the issue?
Each holiday season, cities across Maricopa County experience a rush of faith-based groups, non-profits, and individuals who want to help those who are experiencing homelessness. Food, clothing, and other supplies are often handed out on the streets. This generosity is incredible and is so appreciated. Unfortunately, there are unintended consequences including wasted food, unsafe and unsanitary conditions in neighborhoods, and fewer individuals turning to established non-profits for services that could help them end their homelessness. Handing someone food on the street, while well-intended, can prolong their homelessness.
What is the alternative?
Healthy giving, all year long. This is giving that takes the long-term needs of the individual and the community into consideration. The Healthy Giving campaign encourages you to direct your time and resources to community service organizations that prioritize building personal relationships with those they serve, relationships that can improve quality of life and can lead to housing, employment, and greater independence. This can mean volunteering in a place where you can make those face-to-face connections, or donating to groups that ensure your gifts are received by those in need and will have a lasting impact.
You can learn more about healthy giving at GiveSmartAZ.org.
Who is leading the effort?
The Healthy Giving Council. The Council is a coalition of concerned citizens, faith leaders, social service providers, neighborhood stakeholders, businesses, government partners, and others united in their desire to provide lasting, long-term help to those experiencing homelessness year-round.
How is Maricopa County involved?
Maricopa County believes homelessness is a regional issue. The county works with dedicated and experienced partners across the Valley to provide critical services to those experiencing homelessness. Services include access to affordable housing, sheltering services, mental health and justice support, employment opportunities, and more. Maricopa County supports the goals of the Healthy Giving Council.
What are the next steps?
You can learn about giving opportunities in your community and educate yourself on the issues surrounding homelessness in Maricopa County by visiting the Healthy Giving Council's website at GiveSmartAZ.org.


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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (United States, 2007)
When it comes to the final hour, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, delivers the goods. The last 60 minutes offer adventure as rousing as anything provided in either of the previous installments, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Unfortunately, that doesn't account for the other 108 minutes of this gorged, self-indulgent, and uneven production. During the course of nearly two hours of exposition and setup, there's little in the way of charm or action. There are memorable moments, to be sure, but the overwhelming sense is that the film is desperately spinning its wheels trying to shock and awe with unexpected plot developments.
As an end to a trilogy, At World's End does its job, although with less flair and economy than one might hope. It resolves myriad subplots and gets the surviving characters to places where their stories can end or go on, as future sequels demand. Like the other two entries in the series, it's too long and needlessly convoluted. The movie is also more ponderous than the previous Pirates. The defining quality of Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest was a sense of breezy fun. This movie lacks the same feel. Perhaps it's the weight of expectations and the need to top what went before. The thrilling final hour is almost enough to make one forget how much of a labor it is to trudge through the first two-thirds - almost, but not quite.
The movie's first act concentrates on the rescue of Cap'n Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones' Locker, where he ended up after dueling the Kraken at the end of the second installment. Jack and his ship, The Black Pearl, are stuck in limbo, where's he's seeing multiples of himself and being followed by a crab that looks like a rock. Meanwhile, his former companions - including Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley), and the newly resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) - go to the Orient to enlist the help of Pirate Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Their goal: travel to the land beyond death and retrieve Jack. Then, with him in tow, they can attend a gathering of the Nine Lords of the Brethren to determine the future of piracy in the Caribbean. With Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) in his thrall, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and his lacky, Admiral James Norrington (Jack Davenport), have control of the seas. No normal ship can stand against The Flying Dutchman.
At World's End doesn't blend the humor and the derring-do as well as its predecessors. For the most part, the jokes are lazier and Cap'n Jack has lost some of his zing. Maybe it has something to do with his being killed at the end of the last movie. Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa is more restrained; the intimidation factor is gone. Maybe it has something to do with his being resurrected at the end of the last movie. The on-again/off-again love affair between Will and Elizabeth is on again (following her brief dalliance with Jack) and, while sparks don't fly, at least both characters evidence more pizzazz this time 'round. Meanwhile, Cap'n Jack finds his screen time leeched away to others. A late entrance and too may extraneous side-stories take the focus off our swishy hero, and that's not a good thing.
Three films into what could be a very long run (as long as the box office holds up and the actor remains interested), Depp has found his alter-ego's skin to be a comfortable fit. He's a little less flip this time around, but he still has a good one-liner or two reserved for special occasions. Kiera Knightley continues the ascendancy she began in Dead Man's Chest, evolving from damsel in distress to full-fledged pirate and swordswoman. Is there anything sexier than a woman with a naked blade? Sadly, her sparkling chemistry with Depp is absent this time around - the two say no more than a handful of words to each other. Orlando Bloom has grown into his role. Finally, Will Turner has becomes something a little more interesting than a one-dimensional hero type. There's a little Han Solo in this Luke Skywalker.
As far as the bad guys are concerned, they're not an intimidating bunch. Without his Kraken, Davy Jones is just another fishy looking CGI creature. As Cutler Beckett, Tom Hollander does a good job being nasty, but one never gets the impression that he'll be able to get the better of Jack. Defining other villains could be misleading since numerous characters changes sides, some more than once. At times, a scorecard is needed to figure who's on which team at any given time.
Most of the film's special effects budget was consumed in the final 45 minutes, during which At World's End throws everything one could ask for from a pirate movie at the audience. There are swordfights in the rigging, sea storms, ship-to-ship battles between entire fleets, monkeys loaded into canons, a woman dissolving into crabs, and all manner of other excesses to shiver one's timbers. And, for those who are patient and willing to sit through the entire seven minutes of end credits, there's a nice reward at the end. I won't reveal anything about the "bonus" scene except to say that it's more significant than the one following the credits for Dead Man's Chest.
The need to make longer, more busy second sequels is an undesirable trend. By throwing so much into the mix, the filmmakers - including director Gore Verbinski, who has helmed all three pirate yarns - risk losing what attracted viewers in the first place. The initial Pirates was an unexpected hit. The need to do things bigger and more spectacular led to fissures in Dead Man's Chest. Those fissures have widened and deepened in At World's End.
Most Pirates aficionados won't complain (at least not too much). This is a chance to re-visit old friends and see where some of their stories end. It's a chance to sail with Cap'n Jack from death to life and meet his dad (played, as has been reported everywhere, by Keith Richards). The movie does enough things right that it won't leave scores of despondent fans in its wake. Unfortunately, it does enough things wrong to keep me from giving it a wholehearted recommendation. It could have been better, but it also could have been worse. We can be thankful it's not the latter while mourning it's not the first.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (United States, 2007)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Lee Arenberg, Stellan Skarsgård, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Kevin R. McNally, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Chow Yun-Fat, Geoffrey Rush, Kiera Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Mackenzie Crook
Screenplay: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Music: Hans Zimmer
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
U.S. Release Date: 2007-05-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ADVENTURE
Subtitles: none
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- (There are no more better movies of Lee Arenberg)
- Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
- (There are no more worst movies of Lee Arenberg)


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Phayzon |
Last Activity: 03-15-2021 04:27 PM
About Me
- About Phayzon
- Location
- Pennsylvania, US
- Interests
- Gaming, p0stwh0ring
- Occupation
- Database Administrator
- Xbox Live Gamertag
- PhAyzoN
- PSN Network Name
- PhAyzoN
- I made the first post on the VB!
"So I guess the news here is that not only is Australia the last to get anything new in regard to videogames, they're also the first to get them taken away." - LeadBullet
"We're part-time internet superheros." - Hudson
- I made the first post on the VB!


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This article is more than 1 year old
Twitter botches patch for nasty account-hijacking bug
All your tweets are belong to us
For the past 24 hours, Twitter engineers have been fighting a gaping hole that makes it easy for hackers to hijack the accounts of users who do nothing more than view a booby-trapped message.
So far, the hole is winning.
The XSS, or cross-site scripting, bug resides in an application programming interface Twitter provides to makers of dedicated software that works with the service. The hole makes it trivial to bypass protections that prevent user supplied javascript from being served on the twitter.com domain. After Twitter claimed to have fixed the vulnerability Tuesday, security researchers quickly figured out a new way to exploit the weakness. At time of writing, it remained wide open.
The bug was first reported by blogger James Slater in a post that demonstrated it could be used to run arbitrary code on the machines of people who did nothing more than view a booby-trapped tweet. Once viewed, the message pulls down the javascript that, if users are logged in, has the potential to change profiles, post tweets and steal authentication cookies.
"With a few minutes work, someone with a bit of technical expertise could make a Twitter 'application' and start sending tweets with it," Slater wrote here on Wednesday. "Simply by seeing one of these tweets, code can be run inside your browser impersonating you and doing anything that your browser can do."
The bug is the latest to highlight weaknesses in the Web 2.0 service used regularly by millions of subscribers. This time around, attackers are abusing an API that makes it simple for people to write stand-alone applications that send and read messages delivered over Twitter. The interface reserves space in each tweet for the name of the application. Slater showed that the box can be used to invoke potentially harmful javascript that Twitter has taken pains to block in other parts of its service.
"That's a pretty big oversight," said Jeff Williams, CEO of web application security firm Aspect Security. "It's not uncommon when companies move from web services to APIs. They don't take the same level of security scrutiny and apply it to the interface."
Slater put it a little more forcefully. "Twitter made one of the most basic mistakes in developing web applications - never blindly trust data that is provided from the outside world!" he wrote. "Their form did no - or some very, very basic - checking on what you enter in the box."
Twitter's first stab at fixing the bug involved code that invalidated any links in the box that contained spaces, said Aviv Raff, a researcher whose recent month of Twitter bugs spent 30 days documenting more than 50 vulnerabilities affecting the site. Like Slater, he was able to bypass the fix by including URLs that contained no spaces.
"Not so smart [a] way to fix a vulnerability," he said.
What that means is that if you use many web browsers to view Twitter, it's possible, at least at time of writing, for someone to change your profile settings, send a message to all of your followers that appears to come from you or to steal cookies Twitter uses to help authenticate you. People who use third party apps to view tweets are less vulnerable, as are those who use Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox with the NoScript plugin. (In this case, a test account we used was successfully attacked using the latest version of IE, and Raff says NoScript isn't likely to fare any better.)
The alacrity Twitter showed in trying to fix the bug suggests its security team is getting more serious about fortifying the heavily trafficked site. And for that, they deserve a pat on the back.
But the failure shows the team still has work ahead of it.
It's also worth mentioning that many of the third-party applications used to send and receive tweets remain woefully insecure, according to Raff, who said a dozen or so of the bugs he discovered remain unpatched. They reside in apps such as HootSuite, TweetGrid, tr.im, TweetDeck and Twhirl. The common denominator among almost all of them: the Twitter API.
The API is so "easy to implement, that even novice developers can use it," he told The Register. "Which means that insecure apps are being developed." ®


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Choosing the right microphone for capturing your guitar sound in the studio is an important part of crafting your recorded tone.
Dynamic microphones operate exactly like a speaker in reverse (in fact, you can actually hook up a raw speaker to a microphone preamp and use it to capture sound). Sound waves strike and move a dynamic microphone's diaphragm—a very thin sheet of mylar—which is connected to a coil of wire and wrapped around a magnet. The coil moves back and forth around the magnet as the diaphragm moves, creating an electrical current in the wire. This very small electrical signal is sent to a microphone preamp or mixer input, where it is amplified to a level where other electrical components (equalizers, compressors, etc.) can deal with it. Dynamics are the standard for live vocals, and they are commonly used to mic electric-guitar amps, drums, and brass in the studio and onstage. Popular dynamic microphones used for guitar amps include the ubiquitous Shure SM57, Sennheiser MD-421 and e609, and Audix i5.
Condenser microphones operate using the principle of capacitance ("condenser" is another word for "capacitor"). They use a thin Mylar diaphragm covered with a very thin coating of metal, and this acts as one plate of the capacitor. The diaphragm moves in relation to a fixed backplate (which forms the other plate of the capacitor), creating a change in capacitance that results in a tiny electrical charge. Because this signal is so small, condenser mics contain internal electronics for raising the level enough that it can be sent to a microphone preamp or mixer input. Condensers are most often used in the studio for mic'ing pianos, strings, acoustic guitars, and vocals, and they're also favored as room mics and drum overheads. There are literally hundreds of modern condenser microphones, but some popular models include the Mojave Audio MA-200, Shure KSM 44, and any number of models from Audio-Technica, Blue, Neumann, and Røde.
Ribbon microphones work in a somewhat similar fashion to a dynamic mic, though the design is different. Instead of a diaphragm connected to a coil of wire (as in a dynamic mic), a ribbon mic uses a long, thin strip of lightweight metal suspended in a magnetic field. Sound waves cause the ribbon to move in the field, creating a tiny electrical signal. This signal is routed to a mic preamp or mixer input. In the studio, ribbons are used on acoustic instruments, vocals, brass, and guitar amps, and as drum overheads and distant mics. Examples of modern ribbon mics that work well for recording guitar amps include the Royer R-121, AEA R84 and R92, Audio-Technica AT4081, and Beyerdynamic M 160 and M 130. In the past, ribbon mics were pretty much reserved for the studio, but some new models—such as the Royer R-121 Live and R-122 Live—are intended for the rigors of live stage use.
That's it for this time around. Next issue, we'll delve more deeply into the mysteries of the world of microphones and look at how different microphones can help you refine and tailor your recorded tone.
Mitch Gallagher is the former editor in chief of EQ magazine. He's written more than 1000 articles and six books on recording and music technology, and has released an instructional DVD on mastering. He has played guitar for more than 30 years, and his upcoming book is entitled Guitar Tone: Pursuing the Ultimate Electric Guitar Sound. To learn more, visit mitchgallagher.com.


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The UK National Lottery began in November 1994. Optimistic statisticians hoped that the surrounding publicity might increase interest in ideas of chance and probability, and perhaps even enhance the nation's numeracy.
Hot tips
In the early days of the Lottery, it was quite common to see newspaper articles that looked back on what numbers had recently been drawn, and attempted to identify certain numbers as "due" (they hadn't appeared for a dozen draws), other numbers as "hot" (having occurred several times in succession), much in the manner of racing tipsters studying form. The question of how these inanimate rubber spheres, whirling around a plastic tub, were supposed to be influenced by previous draws was never addressed. Few such articles appear now; without these words being specifically used, it does seem to be generally believed that the outcome of each draw is independent of the rest, and that each of the possible combinations has the same chance every time.
The game has tightly drawn rules about the amount of prize money available, and how it shall be allocated. The mathematics of counting then allow you to work out your winning chances, and how much your prize might be. For the principal game, players must select six different numbers from the list {1,2,...,49}; in the Lottery draw, six of these numbers are selected at random as "main" numbers, and a seventh is also chosen (the Bonus number). Players win some prize if their selection matches at least three of the main numbers. If they match all six main numbers, they qualify for a share of the Jackpot prize, with an average value of £2 million - and, occasionally, ten times this amount! However, less than half the money staked is returned as prizes, so, on average, you lose more than 50p each time you buy a £1 ticket.
To work out the winning chances, note that the number of different choices of six numbers from a list of 49 numbers is , say. And all these combinations are taken to have an equal chance of being the six main numbers. So if you buy one ticket, your chance of a Jackpot share is 1 in , or, in round figures, one in 14 million.
It is hard to appreciate how small this figure is: for example, the chance of death within one year for a middle-aged healthy man might be one in 1,000. If so, the chance he dies within the next week is one in 52,000; within the next day about one in 365,000, within the next hour about one in nine million - still bigger than the chance of a jackpot share. Indeed, on these figures, he is about as likely to win a jackpot share with one ticket as he is to die in the next 40 minutes.
All those who match all six main numbers share the amount in the Jackpot pool, which depends mainly on total sales. To win a gigantic prize, you hope to be the only person with a winning ticket. What can you do to bring this about?
Really random
Very little information has been disclosed about what combinations UK players have chosen. Apparently, at one stage, 10,000 people were selecting the numbers 1 to 6, while the most popular single choice is said to be those multiples of seven, {7,14,21,28,35,42}. Of course, after every draw, we learn how many players shared the jackpot, and hence exactly how many selected that particular combination that draw. Almost one time in six, no-one has won a jackpot share; and one time in five, one winner has scooped the entire jackpot pool. At the other extreme, 133 people selected the winning combination {7,17,23,32,38,42}, while on another occasion 57 chose {2,12,19,28,38,48}.
But the Swiss Lottery permitted Hans Riedwyl complete knowledge of player choice for one particular week; on average, each combination was chosen about twice, but he identified types of combinations that attracted far, far more players:
If the mind-sets of Swiss and UK players are similar, there are lessons here.
- previous winning combinations, going back several years;
- winning combinations from Lotteries in neighbouring countries;
- combinations that, when marked on the Lottery ticket, made straight lines, zig-zags, or symmetrical patterns;
- other systematic choices, such as last week's winning numbers, all with one added (or subtracted).
How to win more
Avoid any such systematic choices! Too many other players may think along your lines, and some may copy your selection. Be aware of the two players who split the jackpot in the Irish Lottery, both having picked their numbers using the dates of birth, ordination and death of the same priest! One idea is to choose your numbers completely at random, perhaps by use of an ordinary deck of cards (discard three of them, shuffle well the other 49), or the official Lucky Dip facility. But do not fall into the trap of believing that spreading your choices evenly across the card is the same as choosing randomly: far from it!
If the combinations listed above, with 133 and 57 winners are marked on the Lottery ticket as set out at the time (nine rows of five numbers, a bottom row with four numbers), you will see that
It is as though players had run their pencils down the middle of the ticket, dodging a little from side to side, thinking they were choosing at random. They were not - as their disappointing jackpot prize proved.
- every number is on a different row
- no two numbers are adjacent vertically
- no numbers are in the outside columns.
One further factor: many players choose numbers based on family birth dates, and so the numbers 1 to 31 are be selected more often. To help avoid their choices, bias your random choice towards the higher numbers. How? Plainly, the mean value of a single number is and so the mean total over six numbers chosen at random is . The calculation for the variance is more complicated - successive choices are not independent - but Riedwyl's advice is to select your numbers at random, but then reject them en bloc unless:
This still leaves over 1,500,000 combinations, and following his advice makes no difference whatsoever to your winning chances - but it is likely to lead to bigger prizes.
- their total is at least 177
- 3,4 or 5 of them are on the edge of the ticket
- they do not form a single cluster, nor are they spread as six isolated numbers.
The smaller prizes
The door to riches?
We have concentrated on the prospects of winning a jackpot share, as that is the main motivation for most Lottery players. But working out the chances of the other prizes is not difficult. Call the six winning numbers the Good numbers, the other 43 the Bad numbers. So to match exactly five of the winning numbers, your selection combines five of the six Good numbers (with 6 ways to select them) along with one of the 43 Bad numbers (43 choices), making possible winning tickets. The Bonus number is just one of the Bad numbers, so six of these choices win a share of the Bonus prize, the other 252 qualify for a Match 5 prize.
Similarly, to win a Match 4 prize, you select 4 of the 6 Good numbers (in ways), along with 2 of the 43 Bad numbers (in ways), giving combinations that match exactly four winning numbers. And there are choices that give the fixed Match 3 prize of . This gives a grand total of 260,624 out of the different choices that win some prize, meaning that each ticket has chance , or about one in 54, of winning something. Buy one ticket a week, and expect about one win a year. With average luck, you will spend about before you win your first prize of more than .
The Table shows what prize (round figures) you might expect. The winning chance, at any prize level, is just the corresponding Frequency, divided by N.
Frequency | Maximum Prize(£) |
Mean Prize(£) |
Minimum Prize(£) |
Jackpot | 1 | 22.6 million | 2 million | 122,500* |
Bonus | 6 | 1,236,000** | 100,000 | 4,100 |
Match 5 | 252 | 7,800 | 1,500 | 180 |
Match 4 | 13,545 | 164 | 62 | 16 |
Match 3 | 246,820 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
*This figure would have been about £48,500 if unwon money from a previous week had not been added to the prize fund.
**Draw 286, where £15 million was arbitrarily (and uniquely) added to the Bonus pool is omitted.
Be above average
It could be you - but it probably won't be
Statistical considerations can suggest how you might win more than these average amounts. Your aim is to choose combinations that other players tend to avoid, so we can look at the data to see when there are fewer jackpot winners than would be expected, given the level of sales. The first 850 draws contained 40 occasions where the winning combination had three consecutive numbers, such as {34,35,36}. Taking account of the sales in those 40 draws, we would have expected about 135 jackpot winners; but there were only 88. More reliably, those 850 draws had a pair of consecutive numbers 406 times; overall, there were 25% fewer jackpot winners than expected, so again the prize tended to be correspondingly higher. Over the same period, there have been only 58 occasions on which the winning combination had three or more numbers higher than 40, but the overall number of jackpot winners in those draws is less than half the figure expected.
Whatever numbers you select, and whether or not you remain faithful to the same combination every draw, your chance of winning, and the average number of prizes, are not affected. The only "skill" is in selecting combinations that fewer other players use, leading to higher prizes - but we have little direct knowledge of other players' choices. If, by some miracle, this article were to be widely read and its contents splashed over the popular press, enough players might change their habits, and combinations that used to be unpopular (hence potentially more profitable) could become chosen more frequently. If you must enter the Lottery, there is much to be said for making a completely random selection of numbers.
About the author
John Haigh is Reader in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sussex. His book, Taking Chances, (now translated into Spanish and Chinese, and in a second edition) aimed at helping the layperson understand ideas of probability, is an all-time Plus favourite. You can read our review in Issue 13.
Lottery Check Mate
I think Sergey Tabin was a student of John Haigh in Math, at the time he wrote the Lottery Check Mate.
In Italy lotto is 1 to 90 but may I know why all the time you work the numbers by 1 to 49, I think it must be do with 1 to 90. Hope you understand and answer me. Hope to hear from you.
Interesting survey below
Still you have 20x more, of winning the lottery than you have of becoming a feast for a fish :-)
(sources: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/graphs.htm & https://www.lottoland.co.uk/magazine/are-you-more-likely-to-win-the-lot… )
UK Lottery
I play, indeed have played the UK 'lotto' since its introduced in 1994.
Dog knows how much money I've 'thrown down the kharzi', but I wonder, how many sad eejits are there out there, like me, who daren't change their numbers/not play each week?
Sad of London!


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Participants the in first-ever AAAS-TWAS course on science diplomacy, held in Trieste, Italy | photo by Ezio Vuck
This piece is republished with permission from TWAS.org.
Along the fortified border between Poland and Belarus, in the Bialowieża Primeval Forest, researchers from both nations are cooperating to protect the threatened European bison. In the south of France, the European Union and a global partnership of nations are working together — and splitting costs — on the massive ITER project to explore the potential of clean, sustainable fusion energy. Scientists from Cuba and the United States — two nations separated by 90 miles and more than a half-century of animosity — have just struck an historic agreement to cooperate in research on topics of mutual interest.
For three dozen scientists, engineers and diplomats who gathered in Trieste this month for a course in science diplomacy, these case studies illustrated a new generation of science diplomacy at work. The initiatives aren't always easy, and they can face political and cultural obstacles. But when successful, the participants learned, science diplomacy can provide significant benefits to nations and their people.
The potential of science diplomacy lies in a simple premise, said Sergio Jorge Pastrana, foreign secretary of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba: "Scientists can talk in spite of differences between nations, in spite of political tensions."
Dr. David Hilmers, former NASA astronaut (left), with TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi | Ezio Vuck
"I don't believe there is any better way of cooperation, and world peace, than through science diplomacy," former U.S. astronaut David Hilmers told the participants as the course opened.
The weeklong course in science diplomacy was organized by AAAS and The Third World Academy of Science (TWAS). It brought more than 50 participants and expert guides from 32 countries to Trieste from 8-13 June for presentations, case studies, and team exercises designed to develop science diplomacy skills and specific projects.
"It was our intention to give participants a week in which they could build a deeper understanding of the practice — and the potential values — of science diplomacy," said TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi. "In the long run, by training people from many countries, we believe that this course can help make contributions to the sustainability of the planet."
The six-day course was supported financially by AAAS through a grant from the Golden Family Foundation, as well as through a contribution to TWAS from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). A further Sida contribution to the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) allowed a number of young women graduates from its fellowship programme to attend.
The course was a primer for scientists and diplomats, many of them under 40; the hope is that they return home to become science diplomacy practitioners and advocates. In time, they may help to knit together a global culture of science diplomacy that can address a broad range of issues, from climate change and ocean health to infectious disease and education.
Lab Coats and Chemicals? Cognac and Cigars?
Scientists are increasingly working across borders, even when their governments don't get along. And that has engendered a sector of diplomacy by academic institutions, foundations, funding agencies, non-governmental organizations. Still, governments remain central to science diplomacy.
"We're seeing there's more and more interest on the part of countries in how to build the capacity of the foreign ministry to engage in scientific issues," said Vaughan C. Turekian, director of the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy. "That's true not only in developed countries, but in developing countries as well."
Course co-organizer Vaughan C. Turekian, director of AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy. | Edward W. Lempinen
The AAAS Center was founded nearly six years ago, and in 2011, AAAS and TWAS signed an agreement to collaborate on a science diplomacy programme. Thus far, however, much of the buzz for science diplomacy has been in the developed world. In the developing world, participants said, scientific research and science education often are not high priorities for governments.
But science diplomacy is hardly a new concept. During America's Revolutionary War in the 18th century, commanders for the opposing sides allowed scientists to go back and forth across battle lines. A few years later, British scientists continued to lecture in France throughout the French Revolution. More recently, scientific cooperation was central to efforts to reduce Cold War tensions between the United States, the Soviet Union and China.
AAAS sent scientific delegations to China in 1979, at a time when the nation was only beginning to open to the outside world; it sent a team to Cuba in 1997, and earlier this year was partner to an historic agreement to support scientific cooperation between Cuban and U.S. scientists in key areas of mutual interest.
The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and TWAS, both founded in Trieste by the late Pakistani Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, were created to promote science in the developing world, and both have had science diplomacy at the core of their work.
"The subject of science diplomacy is very important now, and it will become more important with time," ICTP Director Fernando Quevedo said on the opening night of the course. "ICTP has...been doing science diplomacy for 50 years, and we hope to keep doing it in the fulfilling of our mission."
Today, too, "South-South scientific cooperation is a very important bridge" that can reduce tensions and create understanding between nations, said Mohamed H.A. Hassan, who served 25 years as TWAS's executive director, and is currently co-chair of Trieste-based IAP, the global network of science academies.
Even so, the idea of science diplomacy is not well-understood in many parts of the world, whether developed or developing. That's true even among scientists and diplomats.
There's a tendency, Turekian said, for "the science community to look down on the diplomatic community and the diplomatic community to look down on the science community." But the misunderstandings begin to break down when diplomats and scientists work together. "Then you see that every scientist isn't wearing a lab coat and mixing chemicals," he said, "and every diplomat isn't smoking the finest cigars and drinking the most expensive cognac."
"Instead, it's more like a chemist and a geologist coming together to do geochemistry."
But science diplomacy has different practices and different goals than international science cooperation, which seeks primarily to advance knowledge.
Hilmers, the former astronaut, cautioned that science diplomacy should not be seen as a sort of "soft power" by which one nation tries to exert leverage on another nation. Science diplomacy requires building relationships and trust, he said. "Any kind of science diplomacy has to deliver benefits to both countries."
An Alternative to War
Sergio Jorge Pastrana of Cuba (left, blue tie), with Norman P. Neureiter of AAAS (yellow tie). | Ezio Vuck
Norman P. Neureiter was a young Ph.D. chemist in the 1950s when he went to Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship. In the aftermath of World War II, many German cities were still cratered and strewn with rubble, and the experience helped move Neureiter toward a career in diplomacy. In the early 1960s, with mistrust building between the intellectual communities of Japan and the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda and U.S. President John F. Kennedy proposed a joint science committee between the two nations, and Neureiter became the director.
"The prime minister and the president thought that maybe with this kind of interaction in science, with the universities and the intellectual communities, you could patch this broken dialogue," he explained.
A few years later, as the Cold War intensified, Neureiter would become the first U.S. scientific attaché assigned to Eastern Europe. In subsequent years, working in the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon, Neureiter would be closely involved in historic efforts to effect a thaw in relations with China and the Soviet Union through science engagement. Nixon's proposal for scientific cooperation with China contributed to "a sensational diplomatic breakthrough," Neureiter said in Trieste.
From 2000-2003, he served as the first science adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State. He has since travelled widely on science diplomacy missions, to nations such as Iran, Myanmar and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Hilmers' path to science diplomacy came through war and space travel. In the 1960s, he was an aviator flying war missions in Vietnam, and in the years since, he has returned as a doctor on medical missions. "Looking back on that, what I found was that in so many years of conflict, the lives and the fortunes that were expended were just really wasted," he said in Trieste. "When I go back to Vietnam now...I find that cooperation has done so much more than conflict ever accomplished."
After the war, he stayed in the U.S. Marine Corps but was educated and trained in electrical engineering. He was accepted into the astronaut training program, and flew four space shuttle missions from 1985-1992. From space, he said, there are remarkable views of Earth and the layers of its atmosphere — and of the pollution that in some areas forms a mantle of haze.
"There is not a single country, and not a single person around the world, who is not going to be affected by our interaction with the environment and what it means in terms of global warming," Hilmers said. With humans putting the health of the planet at risk, he concludes that the solution requires difficult global agreements to change the production and use of energy.
Advancing Science, Advancing Peace
In decades past, science diplomacy was often seen as a transaction carried out by a government's foreign affairs apparatus. Today the landscape has changed, and many institutions outside of government are seeing a role — and achieving results.
Cathleen A. Campbell, president and CEO of CRDF Global. | Edward W. Lempinen
For example, some estimates place the number of NGOs worldwide at 10 million, said Cathleen A. Campbell, president and CEO of CRDF Global, an independent, international nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. In India alone, there may be as many as 1.5 million NGOs.
Because they are independent and focused on specific missions, these organizations can often be faster and more flexible than government agencies, Campbell said. The result: NGOs can play "a very significant role" in science diplomacy.
Funding agencies such as the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the U.S. National Science Foundation are creating vital links with researchers and their nations, said Rachel Parker, senior research adviser in USAID's Global Development Lab.
Many funding agencies have offices in foreign countries to help build collaboration between research communities. "If you're interested, let's say, in arsenic removal from water in Bangladesh, and you're from a research lab in West Virginia (in the U.S.), your work will move to the next level if you have collaborators on the ground in Bangladesh," Parker said. "The exchange of ideas across fields and cultures tends to produce more rich research."
In this environment, there are many possibilities for a new generation of science diplomacy — and already, a growing list of successes.
Murenzi, the former minister of science and technology in the government of Rwanda, described how the East African Commission is helping Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to build cooperation in a range of fields, including science. ICTP has played a crucial effort in the multinational programme at CERN that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson. And in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Pyongyang University of Science & Technology is a joint project of DPRK, China, South Korea and the United States. The university was founded to give students the technical knowledge and training needed to engage with the rapidly changing global community — and this spring, it graduated its first class.
A key objective now is to expand the number of countries engaged in science diplomacy and expand the list of successes. To do that, support from policymakers and the public is critical. More support can be converted to more impact, suggested course participant Jelel Ezzine, president of the Tunisian Association for the Advancement of Science, Technology and Innovation.
"Tunisia is a small country," Ezzine said, "but we have science agreements with almost all countries. The problem is that the public, or even scientists, are not aware of these activities unless they are involved. Consequently, we really need to make these collaborations more well-known to scientists, researchers and the public."


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Picture This
One of my favorite things about getting my feet wet in the world of craft blogging is all the wonderful inspiration out there! As I post about the things Little Crafter and I are making, I also look at all kinds of new, fresh ideas on other ladies' sites that just make me want to create even more! The fabric letter I made for LC's room last week was inspired by Kate at The Gaines Gang (yes, I finally found her blog again when she left a sweet comment on yesterday's post!). And over the weekend, I tackled another project inspired by a fellow blogger, Trina, whose blog A Love to Create is filled with beautiful ideas for everything from wall plaques and decorative plates to jewelry and kids' party themes. As I was looking at Trina's projects, one in particular took my breath away. She calls it her "I Can Do Hard Things" Plaque; it's a gorgeous gift for her friends to remind them that they can do anything with the help of the Heavenly Father. I loved the way she took a photo and made it into a personal, handmade gift. Of course, I wanted to try it right away myself, and I knew I had just the photo to use.
It was just begging to be enhanced, so I used my photo editor, Corel Paint Shop Pro X2, to fancy it up a little. The empty upper corner was a perfect spot for some text…LC's even pointing to it, for goodness sake! So I added the definition of love that I found at dictionary.com. Then I applied the time machine effect because I didn't like the mix of colors; Little Crafter's orange shirt against that wall. I loved the finished photo but hadn't bothered to do anything with it yet because I didn't know what to do other than print it until I saw Trina's plaque.
STEP 2: Brush Mod Podge in the center of dry plaque and place your photo on top. Then, brush Mod Podge over the entire surface. If you've printed your own photo, make sure it isn't fresh off the printer or the ink may smear (yes, I learned that the hard way). Trina used a roller rather than a paint brush for this step, which gives the finished product a different look; think paint on a canvas vs. paint on the wall. I like the look of the roller a lot, but I was too impatient to go to Home Depot and get one…
Ta-da! Here's the finished product, which is currently on my dresser making me smile every time I see it. This project would work with any size wood, any color paint, any photo, and any ribbon. You can customize it to match your room; I was thinking of doing a black and white photo with an orange or blue painted background and polka dot ribbon to go LC's room. Even a color photo would be really cute preserved this way. It's a simple, cheap, but gorgeous way to make your favorite photos a cherished handmade keepsake either for yourself or as a gift for someone you love. Thanks again, Trina, for the inspiration. You're making the world a more beautiful place.
Check out her work here.


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Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2004 Publication Date: 6/1/2004 Citation: Evans, J.D. 2004. Transcriptional immune responses by honey bee larvae during invasion by the bacterial pathogen, paenibacillus larvae. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 85(2):105-111. Interpretive Summary: Honey bees face numerous pests and pathogens, leading to high costs in the maintenance of this important agricultural species. One route toward breeding bees resistant to these pathogens involves enhancing the immune system of bees through selection. This study looks at immune response of bees when experimentally fed the bacterium responsible for the important disease American Foulbrood. It is shown for the first time that bees do have an immune response to this bacterium and that this response is variable across different bees. One antibiotic protein produced by bees seems to be a particularly good measure of the bee immune response. The described techniques can be used by governmental and university researchers to characterize the immune responses of different bees and use this information in breeding schemes for new ways to combat disease. Technical Abstract: Honey bee larvae are highly susceptible to the bacterial pathogen Paenibacillus larvae only during the first instar of larval development. Transcript levels for genes encoding two antimicrobial peptides, abaecin and defensin, as well as for two candidate proteins for the immune-response cascade (PGRP-LD and masquerade) were compared for control and inoculated bees throughout larval development. Transcripts for all four are present throughout development. This suggests that other physiological or dietary factors may better explain the age-based change in vulnerability to this pathogen. One of these peptides, abaecin, shows significant up-regulation 24 hours following oral inoculation with P. larvae, precisely when this bacterium begins invading the midgut epithelia of bees. Expression of both antimicrobial peptides varied tremendously across different bees, suggesting an allelic component to their expression. The implications of this result for current hypotheses related to disease tolerance in social insects are discussed, along with implications for breeding bees resistant to this important disease. |


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Neroli Sauvage
Legendary House of Creed creates Neorli Sauvage with the finest ingredients to make this citrus-lemon and musk blend extra long-lasting.
Year Introduced: 1994
Made in: France
Scent: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Neroli, Verbena, Ambergris
The Legacy of Creed
Creed is a perfume house based in Paris, France, one of the oldest in the world. It opened in 1760 as the House of Creed, then in London, England, and passed down from father to son to the present day. No other company is like Creed – the only luxury company in the world held by a private family. In its centuries-spanning history, Creed has served more than 100 royal houses, creating perfumes for great monarchs and rulers.
The House of Creed
Today, Creed has a boutique in Paris and one in New York City. According to the company, all the perfumes are made by a two person team: a father and his son. Currently, this is Olivier Creed, and his son Erwin Creed, but it all began in 1760 with James... Read more about Creed
Royal Water
Silver Mountain Water
Spring Flower
Virgin Island Water
Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse
Fleur De Gardenia
Royal Water Millesime
Acqua Originale Cedre Blanc
Aqua Fiorentina
Acqua Originale Iris Tubereuse
Royal Mayfair
Love In Black
Aventus For Her
Acqua Originale Vetiver Geranium
Fleurs De Gardenia
Fantasia De Fleurs
Original Santal
Acqua Originale Asian Green Tea
Acqua Originale Aberdeen Lavander
Love In White For Summer
Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie
Tubereuse Indiana
Royal Princess Oud
Royal Oud
Fleurs De Bulgarie
Acier Aluminum
Acqua Fiorentina
Ambre Cannelle
Bois Du Portugal
Citrus Bigarrade
Creed 2000 Fleurs
Jasmin Imperactrice Eugenie
Royal Delight
Silver Mountain Water
Royal Oud
Royal Scottish Lavender
Virgin Island Water
Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse
Original Vetiver
Royal Mayfair
Royal Water
Original Santal
Green Irish Tweed
Bois Du Portugal
Acier Aluminum
Ambre Cannelle
Baie De Genievre Feuilles De Canneliers
Citrus Bigarrade
Green Valley
Neroli Sauvage
Orange Spice
Royal Delight
Royal English Leather
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Alcool (Alcohol), Parfum (Fragrance), Aqua (Water), Limonene, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoyl Methane, Ethyl Hexyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Citral, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl-3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Citronellol, Bht


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Toledo Amman Hotel's 108 guest rooms and suites are provided with all the amenities for your comfort.
All rooms are individually climate controlled, with sound insulated windows, satellite channels in several languages, WiFi, mini bar, and direct international telephone services.
All rooms face the famous King Abdullah Mosque and several historical churches.


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Breast cancer, heart attacks not only big threats
In an age when potential health risks are "on blast" 24 hours a day in virtually every media outlet, it is hard to imagine that any health risk could remain "hidden."
But surprisingly, there are still many health risks that women need to know about that are not getting a whole lot of attention.
There was a time when breast cancer and heart attacks in women were kept on the back burner, and women were given very little information about risks and prevention strategies.
Obviously that is far from the case today, which is fantastic. However so much media attention has been given to these two "giants" that many other health risks for women are slipping under the radar.
That's why we've decided to give a few of them the attention they deserve …
No. 5: Air fresheners
Most women like to use air freshener to make their homes smell fresh and flowery. But as reported in Time Magazine, a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council indicates that those innocent-looking little household deodorants can actually be quite deadly.
Apparently, most household air fresheners contain a toxic chemical known as phthalates. In high doses, these phthalates, which, by the way, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, can cause a long list of health problems including cancer, hormone fluctuations and sterility.
These risks apply to all types of air fresheners — the plug-in kind, the spray kind and the traditional "push-up" kind. Even the unscented and all-natural brands aren't guaranteed to be phthalate-free.
Surprised? Then you will really be astonished by our next selection …
No. 4: Commercial tea bags
There's nothing more relaxing than curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea, right? After all, women have long been told about the many health benefits of tea; and we know from our own experience how enjoyable it can be.
Unfortunately, new research shows that the commercial tea bags that we so enjoy bobbing up and down in our cup of hot water may contain the toxic chemical, epichlorohydrin, which has been known to cause cancer.
According to Kristie Leong, MD, "When this chemical comes into contact with water, it forms a chemical called 3-MCPD, a known cancer causing agent." Thinking of switching to coffee? Think again. This same chemical, which is used in paper reinforcement by the food industry, can also be found in coffee filters.
Good thing you've been meaning to kick that caffeine habit anyway, right? And speaking of kicking habits …
No. 3: Tylenol
If you're in the habit of popping a Tylenol or two in your mouth every time you have a headache, a hangover or some muscle pain, you need to be more careful.
According to a report in Harvard Women's Health Watch, "Each year, overdoses of acetaminophen (sold as Tylenol and other brands) account for more than 56,000 emergency room visits and an estimated 458 deaths from acute liver failure."
The publication acknowledges that the drug is not harmful when the proper directions are followed. However, experts also warn acetaminophen users to be careful about combining the drug with other over-the-counter or prescription drugs. They also say that it should never be taken with alcohol, or when alcohol is still in the bloodstream, like when you have a hangover.
Interestingly, there is something even more common that you likely ingest every day that could be a major hidden health risk …
No. 2: Water intoxication
Women are often told that a great way to lose weight and stay healthy is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. However, there is actually something called "water intoxication," or hyponatremia, that can literally kill you.
According to an article in the Journal of Clinical Pathology, "Water intoxication provokes disturbances in electrolyte balance, resulting in a rapid decrease in serum sodium concentration and eventual death."
There is particular concern about people who become dehydrated while participating in sports, and then try to replenish themselves by drinking gallons of water.
With an increasing number of women participating in endurance events such as marathons and triathlons, the concern over hyponatremia has grown. In fact the New England Journal of Medicine reported in 2005 that 13 percent of runners in the Boston Marathon in 2002 drank too much water and ended up with mild hyponatremia.
Of course, some hidden health risks don't come from outside of us, but rather from within.
No. 1: Fibromyalgia
Before fibromyalgia was labeled as an actual disease, many women who complained of being fatigued and having pain all over their bodies were dismissed as merely being stressed out or just not coping with the aging process very well.
We can only imagine how incredibly frustrating that must have been for the women who suffer from this painful disorder.
Today, most doctors are aware that the symptoms of fibromyalgia are very real. But there are still many women who think what the doctors used to think — that it is either all in their head or just a natural part of getting older. These women need to get the facts.
According to the Mayo Clinic, fibromyalgia almost exclusively targets women. Right now about 2 percent of the U.S. population has this chronic disease, and the risk increases with age.
Women who feel chronic fatigue and muscle pain need to talk to their doctors immediately.


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National Council of Jewish Women, Vancouver Section fonds
- Fonds
- 1902-2004
The fonds consists of administrative and operational records generated mainly by the local section including: textual records; photographs; sound recordings; and moving images. Records generated by the National Council for Jewish Women Canada are included as the policies, procedures and activities of the local branch influenced, and were influenced by the larger administrative body. The records were generated by members of the Board of Directors and members at large. Series 1, minutes, contains a fairly complete record of proceedings from the 1950s to the 1990s while earlier minutes may be found embedded in Series 3, President's subject files and Series 12, Program, project and subject files.
The fonds is arranged into 16 series: Minutes; Correspondence; President's subject files; Annual reports; Local publications; Financial statements; Clippings; Directories; Membership lists; Ephemera; National publications; Program, project and subject files; Scrapbooks; Audio recordings; Moving Images; and Photographs.
National Council of Jewish Women, Vancouver Section


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This article is more than 1 year old
UK tabloid in phone hacking probe
Wapping breaks out the brown trousers
Newspapers owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch have been accused of secretly paying over £1m to settle three cases involving the alleged use of illegal phone tapping against celebrities.
News Group reporters allegedly hired unscrupulous private investigators to gain access to mobile messages, as well as bank statements and tax returns. The settled cases provide evidence that former News of the World royal editor, Clive Goodman, jailed for hacking into the voicemail messages of royal aides in January 2007, was caught using an unscrupulous practice in much wider use among tabloid reporters in Wapping.
The Guardian, which broke the story, quotes unnamed Met police detectives who said that during the Goodman inquiry, officers found evidence that News Group reporters used PIs to hack into "thousands" of mobile phones. The paper also claimed court documents showed that reporters for the Murdoch papers had used private investigators to obtain personal information on public figures from government agencies, financial institutions and other organisations.
Gordon Taylor, head of the Professional Footballers Association, sued the News of the World over allegations that he was targeted in an illegal wiretapping operation, and received £700K in damages and legal costs in exchange for dropping the case and agreeing to comply with a gagging order, according to The Guardian. Other targets of the celebrity muck-raking operation included model Elle MacPherson, former deputy prime minister John Prescott and celebrity PR Max Clifford, The Guardian reports.
Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator convicted of bugging mobile phones and jailed alongside Goodman in January 2007, admitted hacking into the phones of Taylor, Clifford and MacPherson as well as Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes and football agent Sky Andrew.
Allegations of widespread criminal breaches of the UK's wiretapping laws raise awkward questions for Andy Coulson, who resigned as News of the World editor over the Goodman case, before landing a job as head of communications for the Conservatives. Coulson denies any impropriety.
"This story relates to an alleged payment made after I left the News of the World two and half years ago," he said in a statement. "I have no knowledge whatsoever of any settlement with Gordon Taylor."
The House of Commons' culture committee were given assurances that Goodman had acted alone and without the knowledge of other journalists in paying to tap into the voicemail messages of royal aides, reassurances that the latest revelations put into serious doubt. John Whittingdale, chair of the Commons committee, has promised to raise the issue with his colleagues in a move that may lead to a further (more detailed) inquiry.
The Guardian said News Group may well have acted in good faith but still faces tough questions. The paper also raises questions about why the police failed to notify targets of alleged wiretapping about alleged breaches to their privacy, and why the Press Complaints Commission failed to uncover evidence of wrongdoing during an inquiry.
Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner John Yates told Sky News that it would "establish the facts" about claims over mobile phone hacking by News of the World staff.
Nobody from New International was available for immediate comment at the time of going to press but we'll update this story as and when we hear more. ®


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Virtual Tables and Fields
Using virtual tables and fields you can create local data structures for Anveo Mobile App without any changes to your Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 tables. These virtual data structures empower you to build app-only processes. Data stored in these tables and fields will not be send to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 in a synchronisation process.
There are two variants of virtual data structures: First, you can add virtual fields to an existing table of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015. Second, you can create your own virtual tables and fields without any table structure of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015.
Add a Virtual Field to a Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 Table
Create a new virtual table and connect it to your existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 table. The table name of your Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 table will be automatically used as the virtual table name and must be identical. Simply add a new line and enter the table number in the right column.
In the field definition of your virtual table, you can now add virtual fields. Anveo Mobile App uses the field name as a identifier. Please make sure it is unique and is not defined as a field name in your Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 table.
Create a new Virtual Table
If you want to create of a new virtual table that is not connected to a Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 table, simply keep the table number on 0. Please define at least your primary key.
Use your virtual data structures in your Synchronization Packages
You can simply add virtual tables and fields to your Synchronization Packages. Leave the table and field numbers empty and use the virtual table name / virtual field name fields.


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"Our Responsibility to Care for Our Own," Ensign, May 1981, 81
Welfare Session
Our Responsibility to Care for Our Own
This morning I've been asked to speak about the responsibilities families have to care for their own. This counsel will apply to the immediate as well as to the extended family. The scriptural admonition outlining this charge is clear.
However, before going into the subject, I wish to build a threshold from which to enter these hallowed halls of family responsibility. As we walk through life, each of us becomes involved in a variety of interests and activities. Ofttimes, our judgment of their relative importance is subject to question. I fear that some of what we do is of little worth from an eternal perspective. In fact, some of our interests may even detract from what good we may otherwise accomplish. There are some basic, fundamental activities of life that are far more productive as preparatory steps for exaltation than many others with which we may busy ourselves. Some of our number have been known to be busily engaged in the "thick of thin things." The Master undoubtedly was speaking of this group as he taught us with the parable of the ten virgins.
Here were ten believing members of the Church. They believed enough that they were going, as a body, to meet the Bridegroom. It appears that they were not wicked, as we think of that descriptive term. I assume they had spent their lives, to that point, in "church activity"; however, as in the parable, five of them had been doing things of more import than had the other five. Half of them had been involved during their lives in doing things of consequence—in doing things that mattered most—in preparing oil for their lamps.
In speaking of the foolish, the parable states, "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." (Matt. 25:10.)
With this as a warning and the word of the Lord instructing us to be about more important things, I'd like to remind us of the teachings of one of the great Book of Mormon prophets and missionaries, Alma.
In one of the most important declarations of what it means to be a true disciple of the Master, Alma describes in clarity and simplicity the covenant and responsibility of one who would enter the waters of baptism. We have all entered the water. We have made the covenant. In the eighteenth chapter of Mosiah, Alma describes the conduct of a true follower of the Savior, a true disciple. For he said, "And now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things." (Mosiah 18:8–9.)
He has stated simply: If we are to be the Savior's disciples, if we are to become like him, then we must serve one another, then we must assume responsibility to help with one another's needs, then we must assist each other through the thorny pathways of life.
We have been taught in other scripture that no matter how great and significant our mortal accomplishments, no matter how much was accomplished under our hand—as a bishop, a clerk, a president, a teacher, or a parent—unless we learn to exhibit charity, we are nothing. (See 1 Cor. 13:1–3.) All our good deeds will not weigh in our favor if charity is lacking.
Charity is measured in several ways. Perhaps a supreme form of charity may be exhibited by one who withholds judgment of another's acts or conduct, remembering that there is only one who can look into the heart and know the intent—and know the honest desires found therein. There is only one whose right it is to judge the success of another's journey through life. Uncalled-for judgments or prejudiced feelings keep many from displaying a truly charitable attitude or a willingness to help those in need, even those in our own family circle. A warning comes to us from King Benjamin, who said:
"And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
"Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
"But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 4:16–18.)
Are not our own family members entitled to every consideration as contained in this counsel? Too often, charity is extended to another when his actions or conduct are acceptable to us. The exhibition of charity to another must not be dependent on his performance. It should be given because of who we are—not because of how we behave.
Now, with these thoughts in mind, let's remember again Alma's words as they describe the acts of a true disciple. He is one who is:
—willing to bear another's burdens,
—willing to mourn with those that mourn,
—willing to comfort.
Brothers and sisters, of all the places where our charitable acts should shine forth, where our discipleship must rise above the weaknesses of self, the family is the most important place. There is no other setting that comes close in comparison. Yet many—far too many—are more charitable to others than to their own.
From the content of this message, I'm sure you can tell we have great concern about the manner in which we, as families, are caring for the needs of each other. Much has been said from this pulpit about the responsibility we have to look after our own. The words are clear. We fear the understanding and application of these principles are not being followed as the Lord has prescribed.
In his day, President Brigham Young said the following: "Ever since I have been in this Church I have never suffered a relative to be maintained by the Church. But some men and women cast their children and other relatives upon the Church. If one has an aged sister who cannot maintain herself, he passes her over to the Church; or if an aged father or mother, why, 'let the Church … take care of them and provide for them.' It is a disgrace to every man and woman that has sense enough to live, not to take care of their own relatives, their own poor, and plan for them." (Journal of Discourses, 8:145.)
Fearing that we may have strayed from some of the basic moorings, I would like to quote from the welfare handbook some of us used as bishops over twenty years ago:
"Aid from Relatives:
"Obviously no person should become a charge upon the public [or the Church] when his relatives are able to care for him. Every consideration of kinship, of justice and fairness, of the common good, and even of humanity itself, requires this." Then listen to these words: "Where Church relatives, financially competent to take care of their kin, refuse to do so, the matter should be reported to the bishop of the ward in which such relatives reside." (Welfare Plan of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Handbook of Instructions, 1969, p. 4.)
And then the handbook repeats the instruction of the Apostle Paul to Timothy: "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Tim. 5:8.)
Perhaps we should clarify what it means to provide for our own. How do we do it? Does it mean money and other physical things only? Are there unmet needs that money cannot buy?
As we talk of family support, often our thoughts center mostly on physical comforts. Food, clothing, and shelter seem uppermost in our minds. Well it is that many parents assist newly married children in their first years of learning to manage limited funds. Often brothers and sisters likewise assist each other. Many sons and daughters are offering much of a temporal nature to their aging parents and grandparents. And so it should be, and blessed will be those who so provide for their own.
Family needs, however, are not always physical. Often faith, forgiveness, encouragement, comfort, counsel, listening, teaching, moral support, examples of loving and caring, and a host of other experiences will see loved ones through a crisis—and their crisis needs may last a lifetime. Time with a family member may pay the greatest dividends of all.
The story is told of a family who had a grandmother who had to live in a home for the elderly. Once each year they would visit her. On that occasion, they would take her a new blanket. As they were returning home from one such visit, one of the father's young sons asked, "Daddy, why do we visit grandmother every year?"
The father answered, "So she will know that we love her."
Another question: "Daddy, why do we bring her a new blanket every time?"
The father answered, "So she will remember that we've been here and that we have not forgotten her."
Then a pause. "Daddy, what color blanket would you like when I come to visit you?"
There is no righteous way to avoid the commandment "Honour thy father and thy mother." (Ex. 20:12.) No family that hopes to endure eternally can exclude grandmother and grandfather, brothers and sisters, or other relatives. Heaven forbid that any family member—regardless of age—should be considered a burden. Wouldn't it be wonderful if family members would counsel together as they make plans to assist those in need?
Because of some personal experiences, I am a true believer that families who will fast and pray together can cause miracles to happen. They can literally pray righteous things to take place. Ofttimes it may take longer than we feel is necessary before it happens, however.
To those who are not members of a "typical" LDS family—and there are many—may we offer a reminder that we are all literally brothers and sisters. We are members of that heavenly family. These principles apply to all. The faithful will be blessed for obedience.
In an earlier day, when families refused to obey the charge of family responsibility—when they found ways to justify their acts of noncompliance with the law—the Master said:
"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matt. 15:7–9.)
This morning we have given you what the Lord has said. We may use our agency as to whether we shall obey or disobey; but, if we disobey, we must abide the penalty.
I testify of the truth of these teachings and of the reality of the one who is the author, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.